Girls golf placed fourth as a team in the Class 2 State Championship at Sedalia Country Club this past week.

Seniors Allie Harrell, Paige Sanfelippo, Alyssa Serafin, Anika Pulumati and freshman Brooke Biermann went to State as a team.

Sanfelippo said, “I think as a team we really worked well together, especially the second day when we were in some pretty horrible weather. It was 45 degrees, windy and raining. We all came together and tried to keep it fun, even though it was pretty horrible out.”

Biermann placed fourth individually, scoring 74 in Round 1 and 71 in Round 2.

Biermann said, “I played well, and I feel like I kept my emotions calm. I wish I could improve on the first day because the first day I played OK, but I wish I played better.” 

Sanfelippo echoed Biermann’s feelings about the first day.

“I struggled the first day. I had some issues with some clubs, but I feel like the second day I really bounced back and helped the team stay in fourth place,” Sanfelippo said. 

Sanfelippo scored 85 in Round 1 and 84 in Round 2.

“I think that the first day we could have played better if we took some of the pressure off of us. I think we felt pressure because we were undefeated going in. I think if we could have just stayed relaxed and looked at it as a fun experience, we could have played better the first day,” Sanfelippo said.

Girls golf went undefeated in matches and won every tournament during their regular season.

Sanfelippo said, “It was the most most successful season I’ve had in my four years here and my coach said that she’s had in the five years she’s been here. Even with us just having four seniors and then Brooke, as a freshman, we all came together and became a big team and all worked together the whole season to go undefeated in matches and win all our tournaments this year. We didn’t win a single tournament last year.”

Sanfelippo went to State individually in 2016 as a junior but enjoyed this year more because she was able to go with her team.

“It was a lot more fun, just having friends there, more people to encourage you, more people to talk to. We had a lot of fun doing team things, dinners, breakfast, just even doing homework in the hotel. It made it seem like more of a vacation than a stressful experience,” Sanfelippo said. 

State was a positive experience for Biermann.

“State was awesome. I love my team. I’m going to miss them so much. State was so fun, and I learned a lot. I think this experience will really help my golf game later in life,” Biermann said. 

Despite being a freshman, Biermann was not nervous.

Biermann said, “I was confident. I knew I could get up there and be close to winning or win. I was confident, and the girls on my team made me feel comfortable.”

Sanfelippo is proud of the team’s success during the season even though they didn’t win the State Championship title.

“A big takeaway for us is that, while State is looked at as the biggest thing of the season, it is just two days, and it doesn’t represent what you’ve done in a season,” Sanfelippo said. “Just because we got fourth doesn’t mean that our whole season led up to that because we had a really successful season overall.”